BTVS: The Builders
by bearblue
Summary: To honor Jesse, based on a long ago gaming conversation about who wields the real power in a game universe, Xander, Willow and Dawn wear "Builder," costumes. (YAHF)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Title: BTVS: Builders

Summary

To honor Jesse, based on a long ago gaming conversation about who wields the real power in a game universe, Xander, Willow and Dawn wear "Builder," costumes. (YAHF)

Disclaimers

Warning: Disclaimers may count as spoilers. Read at your own risk.

Fandom: BTVS / Multiple  
Pairing: Not Really Any  
Rating: FR15

Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction, which pretty well guarantees that "ownership," of the characters belongs to others and that this work is entirely based on affection. This work is an interpretation and not for-profit, (though it may be for praise and enjoyment) Reference to persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

Fandoms either obviously used or subtly referenced in this particular story are:  
Buffy the Vampire Slayer  
The Magic School Bus  
Despicable Me

Various Games inspired content, but do not have explicit ID within this story. However a short list of possible inspirations: Dungeon Keeper, Majesty, Age of Empires, Simcity, Civilization, Galactic Civ, Stronghold, Furyband T-Plus, WoW, and other games and stories where-in magic and construction might occur. Should this go into "series" the games and other influences in this story/series will not be limited to 1997 as they are considered "alternate universes".

Beta Reader: LadyDragonstorm

A/N - This is my shake off the dust fan fiction. I have had such a screaming case of writer's block that I was afraid I wouldn't write again. I decided that I would try in November (naturally) and that I had to commit to a shorter story, and it had to be different than my normal stories in some way, just in case it was the stories themselves that were the block. Thus the rating on this story and thus the no pairing. Though future stories… well, that's a whole other bag of chips.

A/N - This fiction draws from several sources for inspiration - it mostly uses BTVS TV canon as a starting point. It also draws from Ultimate Peasant by Wraithrune and his/her Dungeon Monk stories. I started out "borrowing," some of the ideas, but they have been very transformed and this story/series will stand on its own and have its own plotline, with its own characterizations. Thus, no copyright infringement nor permissions needed, but it is rather fanfic inspired by fanfic.

Other inspirations may affect the story telling. I won't honestly track them all, but consider such influences disclaimed here-in (See above). This is, after all, fan fiction and is thus a very transformed work.

Also, I ended up actually writing up a whole new class of being for this story, (I have a document called Builder Lore, which is something like 10 pages long) based on some generalized specs and some creative thought on what I wanted the characters to to experience. According the Lore: A Builder is a species and class of person whose very nature is that of creation, construction and building. You can find the link to the challenge and the lore in my fanfic net profile, as well as on Twisting the Hellmouth under my profile: Katrina

A/N - This story is so very AU. Not just because Dawn exists before canon, but because I don't actually plan on following the tv/other storylines too much; unless it somehow fits or needs to be written. Also, this story definitely involves magic. And while I personally believe that magic exists, there are those among us who need this disclaimer. So for purposes of respect to the cooperative multi-verse in which we live: *stamp* AU *endstamp*

A/N - This story uses a Buffy-world setting, but even then, it's only lightly applied. However: *stamp* MAYHEM! *endstamp*

Inspirational Sound:

Cocunut Monkeyrocket: Shopping for Explosives

I listened to this and its companion pieces a lot while writing this story.

-BTVS-

Location: Ethan's Shop - The Early Evening Before Halloween

Dawn sighed and crossed her arms in a futile gesture of disapproval. Her gaze raked over her oblivious sister, Buffy. Her less than tall, but definitely older than her, sibling had been instantly distracted by a frilly ball-room type dress; the kind that back in the day might have required hoops. But since this was for Halloween, and they weren't in the olden days, it just had a lot of fluffy skirts layered into the bottom.

Dawn would have complained, but she knew her sister. Buffy was gone on the dress and Dawn would be lucky to get any attention until Buffy either decided not to get the dress or everything needed to be bought and paid.

The problem being, that there was a reason that Buffy was there with Dawn in the first place and it wasn't just because of the High School Principal's Halloween Volunteer Drive. The warehouse of costumes was much larger than one might think and there were loads of distractions. Their Mom's protective instincts had kicked in, though she had caved to her youngest daughter's claim of "old enough to do my own shopping now," argument; with a few minor parental demands. Dawn had happily agreed. Buffy had been less happy, but that seemed to be the average teen response rather than any animosity towards Dawn in particular, so she didn't take it personally.

Besides, the younger Summers was on a mission. Dawn had been saving her allowance for months so she could get a quality costume. Their Mom had topped off the allowance with a twenty dollar contribution. She'd done that for both of her daughters, with the intent that they would, of course, spend it. She offered no qualifiers except that the costumes be age and school volunteer appropriate.

On the other hand, an unescorted Dawn was an opportunistic Dawn. The girl eventually and ultimately concluded that if Buffy wanted to butterfly around a dress, well, then that was more than okay. Besides, according to Buffy, there was a more than an eighty percent chance that Xander would be somewhere in the shop too. Thus, when she saw Willow join the admiration society, Dawn turned away with a gleam in her eyes.

It was time to pursue her own lost cause.

-BTVS-

Xander groaned in frustration. It was the right thing to do, but it didn't change that giving that little boy the last fake pistol so he could complete his Halloween outfit scuttled plans. Rolling his eyes at himself, the young man straightened until he was standing, instead of kneeling at kid-eye level, and considered his options.

"Hi Xander!"

"Gah!" Xander startled and turned abruptly, his eyes wide. "Don't do that!" Then he grinned. "Or I'll have to put a bell on you!" His arms seemed to open automatically, even as she jumped in his direction. The hug was quick, but genuine and then he settled her back on the ground.

"And how is the youngest Summers?"

She didn't quite pout, as that never really worked with Xander. But her brows did furrow as she said, "Overwhelmed. There's just too much to choose from here and well…"

"Wait. I thought you had this all planned out. You were going to be a princess." Then he checked himself. "Not that you aren't always one, but…"

"No," she sighed. "Buffy's gotten all gooey about some guy and now she wants to be all froo-froo. I can't compete … I mean, I don't want to be a princess anymore."

He nodded sagely. "Fair enough." Then looked around himself. "I admit my plans have been altered too."

Dawn knew that any money that Xander had was earned, but that it also went to lunches and other more important things. He wasn't exactly a spendy guy, but she knew he was generous when he needed to be. She intuited he might not be too receptive to an offer on her part to split costs for a co-costume, which would be fun, but… she was very aware that their ages didn't match yet.

Darn it.

"Well, since Buffy is all occupied, would you consider helping me? I still want an awesome costume."

Xander looked around. "Hmm. I might be able to help you out some, but you know my tastes aren't always appreciated."

"Phfft." Dawn handwaved. "Your taste is fine. It's just …. you know…. not deeply funded."

He grinned at her, heartened despite himself. "Dawn, let's walk around and see what's what. I have a thought niggling in the back of my skull and I can't help, but think that it may become a great costume idea if we give it enough time to grow up."

"Oh?"

"Well, maybe not a costume for you, per se, but one for me. But helping you will help me, so…"

"Let us walk?"

He offered his arm. "Indeed fair lady, let us stroll, and see what this good store has to offer us.."

"Great!"

Elsewhere in the store, a thin man tempted a slayer into buying a dress.

-BTVS-

"What's this then! Willow!" The redheaded computer-literate and self-identified geek didn't mean to drop the package, but the abrupt greeting had just enough shock value to disrupt her sneaky plan.

Even though there was really no reason to feel caught out, Willow turned to face her best friend, her expression slightly guilty; as if she hadn't been buying ghost costumes since the age of five; which he already knew. "Xander! What are… What are you doing here?"

The young man leaned over, picked up the package and held it just slightly out of reach from his friend. He glanced at it while he spoke, "Why, the same thing you are. We," he then flicked his hand to indicate himself and the younger brunette with him, "... are deciding upon the optimal costume. I see you are leaning toward traditional."

Willow exhaled and reached for the package, even though Xander teased it away. She grimaced at him, but carried the conversation as she played the game. "Hi Dawn! Yeah, I figure, why ruin a good streak. Although, Buffy…"

"What about Buffy?" Dawn piped.

"She says Halloween is all about come as you aren't. A ghost still qualifies, right?"

"Well, in some circles, perhaps," Dawn nodded sagely. "Xander is helping me find a costume since Buffy kind of stole my idea."

"What? Buffy never said you wanted to be an 18th century noblewoman."

"No. I just wanted to be a princess. It's kind of the same thing."

"Oh. Well, I can see the legitimacy of the argument, if I look at it sideways. Xander, would you kindly give me the package, please."

She noticed that his expression had glazed, and prepared to repeat her request, when he finally replied. "Come as you aren't, you say? Hmph. Come as you aren't. Or as you might want to be. Or..." Willow gaped as he slapped the ghost costume into Dawn's hands, and then grasped their wrists lightly, to then begin dragging them forward with him.

Words of confusion did little to stop the now clearly focused young man. He pulled them through the costume store until they were standing in front of a series of fake-rough costumes. The items of clothing were "patched," and "dirty," though really it was just costume colors.

"You want to go as a peasant or hobo? Xander," Willow began to caution, "I don't see how this is a good idea. You know how Cordelia might take advantage of this and I'm not sure I'm up for verbal skinning on a holiday that's meant for candy." She was about to say more, until she and Dawn were abruptly turned and dragged a little further up the aisle. Until they were looking at hard plastic yellow hats and myriad plastic pouches and tool belts. Above those items were a couple of "sexy" construction worker costumes. This time it was Dawn who spoke. "Xander. I don't think that would qualify as age appropriate to my Mom."

"You're right Dawn," Xander said with a scary kind of grin. "But that's not what we're looking at."

"It's not?" Willow blinked, a bit caught up in trying to imagine wearing one of those costumes and shying from it. "Though, I think Buffy would approve." She shook her head then, trying to clear her mind.

"This is not about Buffy." Xander said firmly, as his expression became a bit stern. "This is about Jesse and the great debate of 1996."

Willow said "Jesse? 1996? What does this have to do with…" Then she began to blink rapidly and she turned to look back past Xander's shoulders at the previous set of costumes they'd looked at and her head swiveled to look at the fake hardhats. Her eyes began to widen and despite herself, she began to smile.

Meanwhile, Dawn was confused. "What are you guys talking about?"

Xander, however, was on another plane of thought and he turned toward the young woman who had been his friend the longest. "Willow, are you prepared to contest the results of the debate at this time?"

Willow, instantly responded. "No. I conceded to Jesse then and I stand by it. He was right and I agree. Real power is inherent with those who can change circumstances. The logic holds."

He nodded at her. "Then you know what we must do." Xander turned to Dawn. "May I have the package?"

Still confused, but willing to play along, the girl handed him the costume package. He took it and held it as if he were holding a precious object. He then turned back to Willow, who looked both tempted and resolved.

"Willow, do you remember our friend Jesse?" Flickers of loss passed over both of their faces, but they had long since accepted what had happened. Still their actions took on a new solemnity.

"I do." She replied firmly. Jesse was among her unforgettables. He had been a brother to her and Xander and was thus, family, in spirit, if not blood.

"Willow, would you be willing to give up the Boo, a tradition to which you have held firm for ten years, to honor Jesse?"

The redhead nibbled her lower lip and ever-so-briefly appeared indecisive. Then she nodded sharply. "I would. I do."

"Then, Willow, I believe I know what we're going to do today. And tomorrow." He dropped the package unceremoniously on one of the nearby shelves and turned toward the construction costume-zone again.

"And that would be?" Dawn asked.

"Take over the world! Wahahahaha."

"Wrong character class, Xan." Willow grinned as she picked up a plastic hammer.

"And… and species, I think." Dawn inserted. "Unless you're planning on being a mouse?"

"Well, not this time. I think I prefer to be human shaped for this." Willow disavowed.

"Oh, well in that case." Xander turned to Dawn. "Dawn, how would you like to dress up as one of the most powerful beings in any game or world? Someone who, through dint of a bit of effort can make great changes or maybe help hang a painting on the wall with ease. It would help us honor a good friend, be fun in general and you would definitely not be a princess; unless you wanted to disguise yourself as one."

"I am intrigued by your theory and would like to read the pamphlet?"

He clapped her back lightly. "Excellent. Willow, I need a game call. Status: Youngling, Apprentice, or Journeyman."

Willow, who now had several objects in her hands, turned to look at them. She cocked her head and then said, "She's too old to be a Youngling. And the right age to be an Apprentice, but an Apprentice would have to have a Master, which I think we're much too young for. However, if we all go as Journeymen we can automatically be a team. We'd only need a team leader." She bounced a little. "So, we should write up character sheets and roll the dice, right?"

"Definitely. It'll be more fun that way."

Dawn smiled at both of them, "I'm all for fun." After all, it was generally true that anything involving Xander was going to be entertaining and so far this was definitely more interesting than watching Buffy drool over pretty dresses. "Well, and maybe an explanation?"

"That we will be happy to do. Once we get the stuff. Let us shop, and then Dawn, Willow and I shall share a story with you."

"Goody!"

-BTVS-

Location: Summer's Residence - Halloween Evening, Before the Event

In the dining room, remnants of cloth and bits and pieces, plus glue, markers and various sundry items of creative endeavors were strewn about the table haphazardly. Dawn, however, despite the smudges on her face and "raggedness" of her clothes was mostly pristine. She looked a bit like a construction-worker gone mad. Her schoolbag, temporarily transformed into a disguised goody bag, hung upon her shoulders. "Stuffed" into it, were rolled pieces of paper and carefully crafted poster-board tools. Her jacket pockets were similarly decorated and she wore a utility belt, with plastic tools from the store aligned within. The yellow hard hat, with her first name stenciled on it, hung on one side of her belt; as did a working toy walkie-talkie, which Xander had insisted on giving everyone. "They may not work really long distance, but most of us will be within a block of each other."

Despite one person's protest, Joyce's vote made things final. Buffy ended up taking a drawstring handbag, which contained the walky-talky and a few other items which she snuck into it; just in case. By the time their Mom was attaching the Junior Journeyman badge to Dawn's jacket, Buffy had accommodated herself to the appearance of acceptance of the idea, with every intention of never using the darn thing. At least, she knew she looked good.

Xander's renouncing of spandex had been just the thing to boost her confidence. Though her return compliments had been more about the "very creative idea, guys" than about the way their costumes also enhanced their looks. They'd seemed pleased anyway.

Like Dawn, the two looked scruffy, with pants, shirt and jackets that appeared patched together, as if they were impoverished construction-students finally freed to go out in the world on their own. All three had chosen sturdy boots to wear. Willow and Xander, meanwhile, both chose cargo-pants with many pockets, and like Dawn's jacket and backpack, they appeared to be stuffed. They also wore utility belts lined with various tools, though they both carried a "big" tool, made of cardboard and old wrapper paper tubes. Xander carried a intimidatingly-sized "sledgehammer," while Willow carried a giant "wrench." Blue paper with white pencil markings sprouted from the jacket pockets at odd angles. Their walkie-talkies hung at their belts, but both wore their hard-hats; also stenciled with their names. On their jackets, they wore the invented Junior Journeyman badges; with all having a bar indicating that they had just joined the ranks. It was generally agreed, based on the way their character sheets had rolled, that this time Xander was Team Leader, so his also had an additional marking. Willow's character had missed the position by two points; Dawn, by five. Thus Willow was Second and Dawn was merely part of the team.

This basically meant that after they paraded around the kids for Principal Snyder, then Xander would get to choose where they would go for dinner and drinks. Joyce, insisted on paying, since Xander and Willow had essentially agreed that Dawn was with them, regardless of assignments. Thus, she gave them all a little money, which was squirrelled away into their pockets for later.

Buffy was very okay with that, as it meant she was free to roam and find Angel afterwards. And no one would get in trouble for any late-night returns. All in all, they were pretty satisfied with the plans.

-BTVS-

Location: Elm Street - Halloween Evening, Before the Event

It wasn't as bad as anyone expected at the High School. Sure, there was a bit of a verbal spar with Larry, the Pirate, and Cordelia just had to comment about riff-raff, but on the whole people seemed pretty cool with the chosen outfits. It had taken only a few minutes to get everyone organized and ready before the three teens and their charges had gone off to seek an increase to their candy haul. Dawn accompanied Xander and his young people, with Willow and Buffy taking one side of the road while they took the other and then vice versa. It made for an almost perfect coverage of the available houses. Dawn was put in charge of keeping track of time and the walkie-talkies had turned out to be very useful, especially when Billy got lost for a minute and a half (He'd been trying to scam more chocolate from a few of the more willing donors).

Once everyone was found, the goodies tallied and the sun had begun to dip low in the sky, it was decided that they would go through one last street, less than half a block, and then head back to the school, which was home-base for the event.

Buffy stopped to commiserate about toothbrushes, while Willow was at one door, listening and smiling as an older woman praised the costumed children. Meanwhile Xander and Dawn were at another house, on the opposite side of the road, where they encountered someone dressed as Ms. Frizzle, whose chocolate candies included a piece of paper with various science notes. A brisk chill wind filled the air. It was cold enough that it could be felt through the jackets and not all the little ones had one. Xander said, "Okay, I think that may be our signal. Everyone thank the nice Science Teacher!"

The communal thank yous started immediately, but they didn't last long, as the wind shifted, and grew even colder and faster. A burst of energy flashed through the city and its inhabitants, changing the fabric of reality.

Xander, Willow and Dawn only had enough time to cry out in shock as their whole beings were overloaded with agony, while their charges lost themselves and became their costumes.

\- BTVS -

Location: Elm Street - Halloween, Event In-Game

From one perspective, it was as if Xander had merely staggered and then had adjusted himself upright in a matter of moments; hardly even a minute. From another, Xander's, it had been as if he had been swirled and flushed and then had to crawl back up through the pipes on a path of glass and wire. In other words, it was painful, soggy and slow. Unfortunately, it was not that unfamiliar an experience, according to one of his sets of memories and not his Builder one's, which were still trying to integrate. He did not linger on the thought as there were other priorities.

He also did not notice that several items had disappeared. The rank badge and the mock blueprints had faded from sight. The tools he had acquired for the costume, some of which had definitely been plastic-toys, had changed and either filled the belt, or looped on it or, had disappeared into his pockets. His outerwear had changed, becoming a bit more professional contract worker and less peasant as it modernized to fit the locale.

Dizzily, somewhat himself, yet not as he was, he staggered and looked around. He spotted the hammer on the ground, not quite Troll-sized, but definitely oversized.

As his focus narrowed, what he observed changed. It was as if, with one blink, an overlay of information had arisen; the kind of thing one might see in a movie or a game. Xander's Hammer was described, cataloged, measured, weighed and analyzed in detail; including various pieces of information such as uses in construction, cost, and then, weirdly, attack and defense percentages listed as pluses and minuses. In another lifetime, without all the memories filled with knowing, he might have been overwhelmed with the excess information. As it was, he was mostly just painfully confused, though his confusion was rapidly fading as his body caught up with the changes. With another blink, the informational track and options to select was gone. He shook his head, trying to clear it past the mentally repetitive phrase of, "What?"

Regardless of mental state, he was still Xander and Xander had lived on a Hellmouth. Dealing with the weird was second nature and being armed around the weird was important.

He bent down and, despite the fact his head still didn't feel right, grabbed the hammer, picking it up with a solid and surprising ease. "Hmm. Seemed like it was supposed to be heavier."

By the time he said that and had levered the hammer to rest on his shoulder, Dawn was also reviving and transformed. Plus, the nice Science Teacher had slammed the door against the suddenly dangerous critters at her doorstep; one of which was trying to claw through the cat-flap.

Well, he couldn't let that happen.

He was about to drop the hammer at the most logical place when he heard a disturbed shout. "Xander! Stop! They're kids. They're just kids."

"Monster kids," he riposted. Though he did adjust his swing. The hammer missed, but it sounded on the ground hard enough that it startled the creature into yelping and then backing away from the flap in a hurry.

"No. They're regular human kids in other-bodies. Look! Just Look at everything."

It was as if the word Look was a command. As soon as she said it, his eyes and mind adjusted again, adding in that mysterious overlay and deep input of information. The true shape of the monster retreating was revealed to him, as were many other things. Trees, grass, transformed and untransformed kids, the house with two occupants: humanoid bipedal and feline… bus? Everything had some form of label and assessment, not just his hammer. "Wow!"

That was about all he was able to say before he noticed that something, no someone, had glommed onto his leg. He glanced down, still looking to see a notation about a child - person - nonreducable, along with other general information about height, weight, species and sundry options. He blinked and shook his head a bit, clearing his sight. The little girl in a fairy costume gripping his leg said, "I'm scared."

So was he.

Not that he would ever tell the child that. Instead he laid his hand on her shoulder and said, "It's going to be okay. We'll take care of you."

As he said that, two things happened. First there was a buzzing noise down by the cat-flap and second, Willow was racing up the sidewalk followed by a tiny gaggle of kids; much fewer than what they'd started out with. But all of those children were unchanged. He got himself into gear. "Dawn, let's get everyone we can together. You, Willow and I, will lead the kids back to school and try to match kids to parents. Where's Buffy?"

A tiny school bus paused in front of his nose. An even tinier Ms. Frizzle, currently Barbie-sized waved and said, "If you'll give me a minute, I'll give you all a ride. I just had to get the bus out of the house."

"Oh, well, if that's all. Thanks. That might help." He said faintly. After all, who was he to deny assistance. The monster-kids had all dispersed pretty rapidly after the near hammering, so all that was really left were their non-changed crew.

Given the relative safety, it was no wonder that they all paused to watch as the miniature bus landed on the road and then changed. It's tiny form suddenly expanded, like a balloon being quickly filled with air. Only, it was much more solidly constructed. By the time the growth spurt was complete, the average yellow school-bus' doors had slammed open. The science teacher, hair even frizzier than before and obviously no longer a wig, and her expression worried, rolled down the driver's side window. "Need a lift?"

"Okay. That was cool," Dawn said.

"Buffy ran off before I could stop her," said Willow. "She didn't recognize me."

He nodded, and oddly, things were seeming less and less surprising. And, as if it were now an automatic habit, he found himself examining the bus and Seeing it. The layers of information were fascinating, but one particular option caught his attention, a blinking: Make Blueprint?

As he noted the evaluation of the the impossible vehicle, he realized, yes. He wanted a copy. Something within took what felt like a snapshot and the option to Make Blueprint disappeared and changed to: Use Blueprint.

Despite himself and the obviously dire situation, he grinned and the extra-input disappeared. It was getting easier and easier and he was feeling more comfortable with himself with each passing moment as his Journeyman self firmed into being and his memories altered even further.

He clapped his hands together "Okay kids! Willow. Dawn. Everyone on the bus! Let's head back to the High School. We'll try and see if we can get Buffy to join us on the way."

\- BTVS -


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Builders Pt. 2

\- BTVS -

Location: High School - Halloween, Event In-Game

They briefly spotted Buffy, but she ignored their calls and ran pell-mell as if something with teeth were after her. The bus was flying and the lights were on and it was all a little new and terrifying for them too, so perhaps she had reason for the panic; especially if that wasn't really Buffy in that brain at the moment. But it did mean that the Team Leader had to make the hard choice.

Though it went against his every grain and urge to let one of his friends flee into the night alone, Xander let her go; even as he realized she was probably more vulnerable now than she'd ever been. However, he had his team, the kids, a few other refugees and Ms. Frizzle to take care of. The bus had rapidly filled as they'd stopped for the other non-transformed people (and a few of the saner transformed ones) that they'd discovered enroute.

Despite the chaos of the town, the area around the High School was oddly quiet. An overturned car and a wrecked street lamp indicated some sort of ruckus, but it was apparent that most of the damage was occurring outside the school zone. Plenty of space was left to park the bus and Ms. Frizzle took full advantage of it. Xander, meanwhile, realized he might need to delegate, especially since he was beginning to have a grand and glorious plan.

Sort of.

"Ms. Frizzle? Would you be willing to get the kids into the school and see if you can find any of the parents. The parking lot is looking pretty empty, but hopefully that's because everyone was smart enough to take the fun indoors."

"Xander, it would be my pleasure. Do you intend to try to go find more people? I'd offer to lend my bus, but usually she only lets one person drive her."

He smiled at the kindness. "No, thank you. We've got other priorities at this point. I'd like to say we could rescue everyone, but I think we might need to consider that others are just going to have to find us first."

The science teacher nodded and then opened the bus doors. "Okay everyone, time to head to school!"

For some reason, everyone was a lot more enthusiastic about that idea than usual and there were actual cheers.

Xander turned to Willow, while keeping a careful eye on those who were exiting, "I think we need to talk once we're off the bus; you, Dawn and me."

Willow's eyes held a gleam of anticipation, even as she nodded. "I agree. I can feel potential here. And not just because of the Hellmouth."

"Have you looked at it yet?" Even as he asked the question, he allowed himself to see, scanning his eyes over the territory of the school with a gaze filled with rapidly adjusting information. The High School measured and labeled itself for him, and then, when he blinked became oddly transparent, tipping over in such a way that he could see the rooms and dots within, which were individuals in motion, not yet identified and only indicated. He tried to feel odd about what he was observing, but by then his mind had adjusted and it was just a normal scan now. His gaze rested a moment on the library, where the number of books (38,154, not including Giles's special collection, which was about average for a highschool like theirs), tables, chairs and sundry information appeared beside a cautionary message related to a dimensional portal. Would he like to know more? Yes.

The portal labeled and measured itself and provided energy evaluations, size, general disposition, and color which was not quite what he was expecting, as he thought it would appear black, but it's actual composition was multicolored; streaked with reds, blues, yellows, and complimentary colors, including white. How odd. He'd expected pure evil, but got nothing like that. It was as if the portal were just a portal; with lots of dark, yeah but with potential for other things too. Not that he doubted that there were those who would love to use it to open things that were anathema to this world. He shook his head lightly and the messages disappeared and he returned to the conversation. This all happened within a matter of seconds.

"I've been looking at everything. But I don't think that's what has caused all this."

"Oh?"

"I've finally figured out how to translate the energy signatures to something useful, give or take. Is it me or are you having difficulty settling in since we awakened? Usually there's no adjustment necessary; that is, if I'm remembering right. Oh, back to topic, the Hellmouth is very interesting indeed, but there is a huge globe of chaotic power emanating out from that direction. It is what is doing the damage, but only to things that are already vulnerable to its energy." She pointed west from the school.

Before she could explain more, Dawn, who had found a seat in the back, finally joined them as the last few passengers debarked. "We getting off this fancy rig?"

"Yeah. I think it's time to do something proactive." Xander nodded and stood up.

Willow said, as she also got ready to debark. "Ooh, and while we're at it...

"We should try to contact Buffy. Or at least send a message." Dawn finished the shared thought and liberated her walkie-talkie from her belt. "Maybe she won't run from a non-moving object, right?"

Once they stepped off the bus, it transformed, becoming toy-sized and then it buzzed itself away towards the High School, obviously looking for Ms. Frizzle. Somehow, none of the three teammates were surprised.

\- BTVS -

The noblewoman stopped to catch her breath. She'd run far and long, avoiding danger with every footfall. Now she hid in the shadows of a house, squeezing close in order not to be seen.

Then, she caught her breath in a muffled scream as she heard a tiny voice, but couldn't find where it was coming from. It did not respond at all to her demand to show itself. What it did do was repeat itself. "If you seek safety, find the High School. Right off of Main Street. Repeat. Buffy, we know you're out there. Come to the High School." Then, after three more times, the message stopped.

Safety. The voice was offering safety. She had no idea who this Buffy person was or whether the message was meant to be temptation, but she also earnestly desired not to be on these hard, dangerous roads; especially as she was without her sword and pistol. Her will firmed. She would find this High School and see if it really was a refuge. And if it was a trap, she would teach the villains a lesson, somehow.

It was then she noticed the handbag hanging off of her wrist. When she opened it, she was happy to discover she was not as unarmed as she believed herself to be.

Well. That changed things. She thought this with a smile. No more running.

\- BTVS -

"Giles! What are you doing here?"

The Watcher slash Librarian gave each of them a bit of a stare. "I work at this school and this was a school event. I was obligated to attend. Everything was going along quite nicely earlier. In fact, once all the formal duties of seeing the children off had concluded, and once Principal Snyder departed, I felt it was appropriate to spend time on other responsibilities while waiting for the return session of our evening's events."

"Oh, so Snyder roped you in too. Right. That makes sense." Xander nodded.

"It's probably a good thing you didn't dress up tonight," breathed Willow. "It's all sorts of crazy out there right now."

"So the remaining faculty and staff has been informed, by a rather enthusiastic fictional member of the educational community. Although, she really is quite observant… and…and helpful."

"Yeah. Ms. Frizzle rocks. Did she mention that most of the kids aren't just kids any more?"

"I gathered as much, when one of the children dressed as a fairy spoke about her friend and how she became a real one. She seemed to indicate, with some small amount of envy and worry, that her friend bought her costume from someplace other than usual." He took off his glasses and pressed a cloth to them, cleaning absently. "I don't suppose you could share any insight?"

Xander, Willow and Dawn exchanged looks and each offered a form of a shrug. Xander spoke on their behalf. "Not really. Though we noticed something hinky going on west from the school, energy-wise, but nothing we could out and out name; other than it being, you know, Chaotic." As the Watcher hummed a response, Xander continued with the obvious, "None of us are wearing costumes and we're all ourselves. I vaguely recall some arts and crafts, but I guess nothing really worked out and we decided not to go as anything today."

Rupert Giles compressed his lips and his glasses creaked a bit with the scrubbing. He carefully did not mention the plywood on sawhorses that now occupied a small portion of the campus sidewalk, nor the rather enlarged handy-person's implements leaning against it, nor the fact they all had hardhats and steel-toed boots on, or, that Dawn Summers appeared to be several years older than she should be. "I see. Well, I suppose I shall have to do this the old fashioned way and try the phone book or, at least, a spot of driving." He offered a rather weak smile and put his glasses back on.

Willow spoke up. "The internet may be helpful. You could try Google. I mean, I bet Ms. Calendar would assist you. If you asked nicely."

"And maybe the newspapers. There might have been, you know, advertisements," commented Dawn. She then said, "You want us to do some research kinds of things? We can put this off for a bit."

"No no. That's quite alright. I am sure I shall discover what should be known, one way or another. Please… carry on, but…" He glanced about, as if noticing for the first time how dark it really was outside. "Do be careful. Perhaps you should continue your efforts indoors."

"Nah. We got it. We're almost done figuring out what this school needs."

"Oh dear," Giles mumbled, but he realized he had to let this one go and trust them. They were, after all, not going to do anything entirely extreme. Certainly not within the timeframe of less than an hour, if that long. He did, after all plan on having this all solved as rapidly as possible. "Try not to do too much damage."

"No damage. Only improvements." Xander patted his toolbelt and tried, unsuccessfully, to appear reassuring.

Willow grinned suddenly, "Yeah. More power!"

The trio laughed a little madly and Giles made his escape with as much dignity and rapidity as he could muster.

\- BTVS -

As soon as Giles was out of sight, Xander turned back to the table Dawn had summoned. He dropped his hand into one of this jacket pockets and dug around a bit, before bringing it back out, holding a large roll of blueprints. "So." He began, as he unrolled the documents. He stuck in a few pins to keep them from rolling back and manifested a white pencil from his shirt pocket. "I was thinking about a few things, but let's start with a Game Call. Willow, Dawn, are we agreed that Principal Snyder, the local authority of this fine institution, essentially declared that on the night of Halloween the High School shall act as a base, for people to arrive and depart from, which places it under our jurisdiction as Builders in a Time of Emergency?"

"I say, Aye," Willow confirmed.

"Aye, Also," Dawn seconded.

"Then, with that in mind, I, Xander Harris, Team Leader of this Builders' Team, (and really, guys, we need a name at some point, so think about it), formally decree the High School, its grounds and environs Claimed by the Right and Rite of Builders in a Time of Emergency, and thus subject to the Needs of the Builders. Any opposed?"

"Nay," Willow declared.

"Nay," Dawn agreed.

"Furthermore, given the state of emergency, I must call upon the team to contribute materials and substance to the cause, since I expect our ability to draw upon local stuff may be limited at the start and until we find differently, we must plan ahead. Therefore, we will utilize the communal pool for the betterment of the project. Agreed?"

"Agreed!" They said at the same time already feeling the buzz that would be their first real work as a team.

"Finally, as Team Leader, I issue permission to utilize all tools and options necessary to further the good of our project, including the summoning of minions and the communing of the present Builders. Any opposed?"

"Nay!"

"Formalities concluded, we shall begin. Firstly, we note," the journeyman Team Leader began to write and draw very accurately and speedily upon the blue parchment; so fast that his hand was a blur, "that the High School has been in need of repair and reconstitution in several areas for at least a year if not more. Moreover, the grounds and the environs can not be truly safe as it stands this Halloween; not least of which is because the school itself is situated upon a Hellmouth, more appropriately called a Dark Portal, but we'll waive the quibbles of what-is-it and names for the moment. Moreover, said Hellmouth, while currently closed, in technicality, though not really substance as the energy signatures indicate, is not formally guarded nor has it been for some time now; despite the valiant efforts of the Watcher. Therefore, we have a responsibility to institute such repairs and fortifications as we may; including, for this night, at the very least, places of rest, refreshment and recreation." He didn't wait for their agreement as he sketched out several new images upon the planning paper.

"Wait," Willow said, "Recreation?"

"We have twenty-odd kids, their parents and quite a few other people in there and, despite Giles being on the mission to correct the situation, who knows how long this will really last." he began to explain.

"I withdraw the query," the redhead grimaced. "Please continue."

He stepped back and propped his hands on his hips. "Actually that was pretty much it. Take a gander and throw in your two cents. But we do need to decide on whether we're going with a water well or tower."

"Why?"

"We're providing fresh food, through a renovated cafeteria at the very least, but the water supply is suspect. If we build a well or tower, it will always draw fresh, but there would be a percentage of risk for contamination by…"

"...the Hellmouth," Dawn supplied.

"Correctamundo. And a water-tower would be great, because it's easier to integrate with a pipe system, but…"

"...not as pretty as a well, unless we decide to go with a theme. High Schools do tend to be rather utilitarian. Hmm." Willow nodded, as she added in her own sketches and notations.

"Am I reading this right?" Dawn pointed at the sketch. " Given space parameters, we're definitely going to have to wall things and then build up, I think. Though we can stretch space once we claim the perimeter, via the walls, so maybe across would be okay too. Traditional stone?"

"Wait? A wall? You know in Modern Ages they don't necessarily use walls as part of their fortification for a reason. Large missiles tend to make them less fort-like in a big hurry." Willow reminded them.

Xander grinned. "Yet all the most exclusive homes have one. Fences still work to keep the riff-raff out. Besides, it'll be fun. We'll put in slides and firemen poles and squishy ball pools. So yes; at least five feet thick, though more if we can afford it. I've got a pretty good store, so I'm feeling pretty confident."

"Okay. You win. Opposition retracted. One of these days I'm going to be right and say I told you so."

"Which is almost every day, Willow, as you are a genius, but…"

"This is now. And a building thing. Plus, who can resist the ball pool. I certainly can't. We better put a slide directly into one and then stairs for out. Unless it's a prison ball pool, in which case, it should be a greased up slide and one of those dungeon doors with five trigger locks."

"And the balls should be very pointy." Dawn agreed.

"And I will bow gracefully to the told, as per usual. See that's the spirit. Oh, and this does include guard towers. Four corners, one to each side and one on the back and two at the front. So nine guard positions. Oh, and we will have a back exit, for safety reasons and delivery when needed, but you know, why advertise?." Xander added.

"I like it. Too bad we can't do this to the Junior High." Dawn sighed. "But this could be very fun."

Willow handed the pencil to the younger, but no longer childish girl. "Your turn."

"Excellent!"

\- BTVS -

About five minutes after Giles had gone back into the building, the team had mostly finalized their ideas. Certainly it was enough to get started. The blueprints, the table and even the giant tools disappeared, leaving only three determined Builders. They stood together, forming a tight circle and facing out from each other. A tiny glow gathered around their figures, outlining them against the dark. Tension gathered in the air, until it seemed to vibrate around them.

Then they burst into motion, in a blur of speed. Xander headed out, past the parking lot and the football field, toward the outermost corner. Willow headed in, through the open double doors. Dawn circled around, heading toward the other side of the building, but still outside of it.

The whir-buzz of power tools disturbed the relative quiet of the high school, while outside, the sound of stone grinding filled the night. The building had begun.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

BTVS: Builders pt. 3

Despite the suggestions of the three young people, Rupert Giles did not need to use the internet or even the more acceptable source of newspapers. He had better options, the parents. He began interviewing the adults immediately upon re-entering the school, until finally piecing things together.

"Ethan's, you say? I see." His expression darkened enough that the person he spoke to backed up a step. Then she took another when his fists hit his palm and she was not at all reassured when he offered a grim smile and a brief thanks after she gave him the address. She stepped quickly out of the way as he barreled through the door towards the parking lot.

His timing was such that he completely missed seeing the trio break formation when he left the building, and by the time he started his car, the engine, which had long ago given up its tiger purr in favor of a smoker's cough, had cut the noise enough that he didn't notice it. Because of the chaos on the streets, it would take him the good portion of the hour to arrive at the store and his beloved Citroen would have more than a few new dings and dents; which only meant more payback to be served.

\- BTVS -

Willow paused at the entrance. She had seen Giles, briefly, but had been moving so fast that they'd essentially "missed" each other. It was probably for the best. He had his job. She had hers. With a determined gaze, she briefly examined the hallway that led deeper into the High School. Then she lifted her hands as if in invocation. Two small golden creatures manifested into being. Like her, they carried tools. Unlike her, they wore goggles and overalls and were very, very short.

She smiled at them, beneficent. "Follow the Plan Tic, Toc. Tic, you have the west side. Toc, you have the east side." Her smile expanded and became slightly reckless. "I will take the computer classroom. We'll all work the gym together, but save the library for last. Now go."

The two minions burbled at her, "kay, kay" and then split off, heading in the directions she commanded; her left and right hand

About two minutes after Gile's departure, things began to visibly change, with startling speed, within the High School. The scent of sawn wood, the sharp tang of heated metal, and the sound of hammers, saws, power tools, echoed in the hallways of the school. This was not that unusual as it was Sunnydale, where "repairs," often happened overnight. The parents, along with some of the teachers, had gathered in the gymnasium to allow their children to run about as they were occupied with staying calm and keeping the kids corralled. Thus, they were not immediately aware of the changes, though now and then some saw something zip past. This was promptly ignored, as was habit.

Meanwhile, Willow strolled toward the computer lab, with a wicked gleam in her eye. As the door to the room opened, and she stood in silhouette, against the light, she said, "You're mine now, my Precious." And then, lifting her arms and spreading her hands, she cackled in glee. "This is going to be so much fun!"

As her hands glowed, the room began to deconstruct, becoming base components and materials, whirling into a vortex of energy, which then swooshed into Willow.

\- BTVS -

Outside, the walls grew and along with them, the rounded towers, coming into being first in the shape of scaffolding and then in the shape of massive stone and mortar. Around them blipped small yellow figures in coveralls, toiling away, and their masters; Dawn on one side and Xander on the other, pushing their Builder's skill and magic to speed the process along rather than allow for a more leisurely growth. It was, after all, an emergency. The football field, the parking lot, the back buildings of the school discorporated, lifting up in bits and pieces, swirling away as energy to be consumed and differently used, leaving only bare land. The school's outer edges were encompassed, forming a perfect rectangle; Wall, Towers, and a Gate to the Front.

Meanwhile, scaffolding appeared around the school itself, growing up and up, until it towered over the original building. The the building seemed to rise to that new height, as a new floor was added while everything else, from the walls to the windows were restored to polished, pristine condition. Then the scaffolding collapsed, around both school and it's new fortification, tearing down and disappearing as if it had never been.

The gate to the school closed, banging shut with the solid boom that could only come from something massive being pushed together quickly. Dawn and Xander took a few steps away to look at their handy-work.

"Yeah. That'll do," Dawn nodded. Sweat beaded her brow and she, like Xander, was a touch breathless. She was not tapped out yet, but she could feel that the first plummet of energy from the expenditure of their effort, with more yet to come. But they could and would do it.

Xander, propped his hands on his hips, Sighting along the wall to make sure everything was as it should be. He was about to say something when the windows at the guard posts by the gates suddenly became illuminated. Then a man stepped out from one post, wearing a red and gold uniform and a cap with a badge on it. "Miss, Sir." He lifted a baton to his head in a salute. Dawn blinked and raised her hand back in a semi-wave just as the other guard appeared.

She said, "Anything we can help you with?"

Xander said, "Nope. Just checking. We'll let you guys be about it then."

"Taking first round Dan?"

"Yep. Hold the fort Eileen."

"Will do." With that, she popped back into the post, and could be seen leaning back in a comfy chair, watching both a monitor and out the heavy plate-glass of the guardroom. The other guard smiled at them, nodded again and then began walking away from them following the wall.

"Okay, seems like everything is alright here. All systems go. The wall looks great. The other guard posts should spawn guards too, so there's that. I think we can get started on the next project." Xander wrapped his arm around Dawn's shoulder and guided her around to face the blank area that they'd left after that massive deconstruction pull. They had a lot to do, including recreating the athletics area for one, with an active aid station in it and a dojo for training. Then they would need some agricultural and woodshop support units, since those were in the outbuildings that got sucked up anyway. Not to mention making sure everything looked, not just good, but spectacular.

He did have pride in his school after all. The Sunnydale Razorbacks were going to be schooled in style and he was going to give Cordelia Chase something to cheer about. Not that she'd know it, but hey…

"Wait, should they have names?" Dawn whispered the question sharply, redirecting his thoughts.

Xander nodded, and then explained. "Sure. It can't be just guard one and two you know. People have to be able to relate. And be fooled. Besides, you know the Units may attain sentience. Can you imagine how weird it would be to suddenly wake up and not have a name? I don't care if they start as random output, I just can't do that to them."

As a Journeyman, she knew and understood on an intellectual level, but some ideas still took a bit of getting used to, as she still had a very human mindset. Some buildings, however, were simply so task specific that they generated component items or units (translated as things and people) to fulfill their function. The difference being that most spawned units never attained full self-freeing identities for themselves. They simply went about being Farmer Bob or Guard Dan or whatever, for their unit's life-span, which in-game was sometimes very short, either due to violence to themselves or the building; that "lifespan" was usually made up for by rate-of-respawn by the building. "Oh. Well, that's a point. But, names, you know have a way of changing things. We set up a place for them to live right?" She tried to remember, but they had worked so fast she kind of lost track. "Can't just have them, you know, just working 24/7 and whatnot. That would get kind of spooky around even Sunnydale. Which, speaking of, what's next?"

She knew Xander well enough to guess that he probably had planned for living spaces, if only for appearance' sake, and that it was likely he had the units named on purpose. He was a maverick that way, believing units deserved a chance to become someone. Well, and she guessed that made her and Willow mavericks too. After all, they'd adopted Xander's Minion template as their own.

She smiled as she recalled one of their first conversations about the minions.

"You made twinkies with eyes." Willow said, aghast.

"And mouths. And wee toes and fingers." Dawn held the little fellow in her hand. It held the tiniest hammer she'd ever seen, and was drooling on the handle like it was a pacifier. "And cute little overalls. They are going to get bigger right?"

The minion in her hand burbled with wee-minion happiness, which made her a touch googly-eyed too. "Aww."

"Yes, Dawn, they will get bigger and brighter. Honest."

"And you gave the template to Gru. Gru! Who isn't exactly on the nicest guy, Xan." Willow arm waved a bit in emphasis.

"Oh, he's only grumpy because he's bored and ambitious and it's a terrible combination in a Builder, you know. He'll turn around. Didn't give him the whole thing, anyway, because he wanted to tweak and make 'em his own, which is his option as a fellow Builder. I think he's going to experiment with getting past the usual manifestation limit, but, hey, that's what he does; tinker. Besides, he promised to take very good care of them and I trust him to do it. Even if he is a bit on the dark side. He'll lighten up." Xander shrugged. "I'm almost seventy five point nine percent sure of it."

"It's okay Xander. We understand. We even like the little guys," Dawn reassured the young man. "But will they be able to do what we need them to?"

"Sure they will. Just… maybe not right away."

"Well, they are babies."

"Yep. I know. It was in the plans. The guard towers have rooms in them, a small apartment for the guards and then a couple of, I guess you could compare them to hotel rooms, for emergency bunking. I figured, why give up comfort for crowding folk in. Three rooms, for three people per, for ten total adults in the tower, roughly, with nine towers. People and kids, you know can double up in a king sized bed, if they have to. Plus we planned some in for the school. Might turn out to be a good thing, long term. I mean, the school could run fundraisers for "scenic" rooms or maybe you know, board some foreign students or something. Hey, which means we'll have the first hybrid boarding/public school in the USofA. Go Razorbacks! With a side benefit, that would make this school technically a home, which … Well, we can talk about that later. That said, let's talk about to what to do next: Parking."

"Ooh. Yeah. We gotta fix that don't we." Dawn said as she gazed out at the bare ground. "Say, Xan, what would you say to a water fountain in front of the entrance?"

"The kids will soap it up on the game days. I foresee lotsa bubbles," He said sagely. Then he grinned. "Let's do it."

\- BTVS -

Many think of time being relative and space being fixed, but they would find their ideas about such things upended with the Builders. The computer room, which used to be there and at one time held a fixed amount of space, now seemed like an infinite blank. Despite the fact there were no walls or floor or ceiling, none of the other rooms of the school showed through. Willow stood in a place of possibility, infinite and not yet defined. Her eyes were closed as she mentally sifted through blueprints and templates to find exactly what she wanted.

It did not take long, but it was an intense experience for the journeyman who was often plagued with perfectionism in form as well as spirit. Decisions made, she began to create something new and wonderful. The room took shape under her will, wood bones rising to block out the frame of things to come at breathtaking speed as she moved around, flitting from place to place like a hummingbird with a nail-gun. The expanded space was split starting with the classroom, then adding in a general multimedia lab, a room for servers and the arcane workings of technology, and a teacher's office. The classroom bowed and shifted as it took on an expanded shape, rounding and lifting until it felt more like an auditorium as the flooring stretched and stairstepped down; except for the adaptable ramp on the side. The walls grew like flowers, changing colors from drywall grey to variations and compliments of the school colors. Ornate touches graced the doorframes, the floorboard. Brass covered ports, outlets and switches appeared. The teacher's wall had traditional chalkboard on one side, but it was mostly presentation board, white and ready to work with digital and real markers. A projector dropped from the ceiling, tilted just so. Desks graced with sleek flatscreen monitors, which were set in such a way as to protect eyes and posture, and to also allow line of sight from teacher to students, sprang into being; while surprisingly fast desktops and peripherals manifested. Even the seating was optimized, both form and function suited towards time spent utilizing the technology comfortably.

It was beyond state of the art, it was near-future, but without the usual budgetary hassle. More importantly, Willow had gifted her best teacher with something that could usually only be dreamed about. The rooms would update automatically, becoming what both students and teacher needed, as it was needed. The projector bulb wouldn't blow out. The speakers would always run perfectly, the multimedia lab and campus servers would stay state-of-the-art.  
The personal cost would be high, as Willow poured a good deal of her own supply into the upgrades, but it would be worth it; in the long run. By the time the room was done, it might even survive an apocalypse. Maybe the whole school would; after all, a framework was only as good as its foundation.

Willow reminded herself to leave Ms. Calendar some manuals. The classroom might be a technological wonderland, but people still had to know how stuff worked.

\- BTVS -

While Willow was re-inventing what it meant to be a computer classroom, Lady Elizabeth was re-discovering what it meant to be a hero. What no one could realize was that, even though Buffy's thoughts were submerged under the new personality, she was still a Slayer. Weak the Lady Elizabeth was not, even if, technically at the moment Buffy was. Sometimes the most important piece of information is the one that isn't conveyed properly; at least, to one person.

As Lady Elizabeth strode up Revello Drive towards Main on her way to the high school, she heard a scream. Having recently been in similar straits, she ran toward the noise to see if she could help. Near some trees she spied a damsel, who was scandalously clothed and a beast, obviously attacking.

The Lady Elizabeth hastened; moving far more quickly than one might expect of a woman in long skirts. She was there in moments.

Using her small handbag, now filled with some heavy stones as well as an odd device and a wooden stake, she battered the creature; first across the side of the face from behind and then with a series of brutal smacks across back and shoulders. The creature yelped in pain and terror, backing away hastily from its intended feminine prey. Then, as the Lady continued the assault, it fled with even more yelps and howls.

Oddly, Lady Elizabeth, experienced a strange sense of satisfaction. But she was smart enough to choose not to follow the creature and continue the exercise. Instead she turned towards the comely young woman. "Are you well?"

Cordelia Chase was not one to let a bit of fear keep her down. Once she grasped that JoJo the Dogface Boy had more tooth and claw than he should, she'd made an honest effort at escape. The only problem being… "Just look at this outfit. I'll never be able to return it now."

"Given that you have your life and appear otherwise unwounded, perhaps you should be less churlish?"

"Yeah. Whatever," sighed the brunette with only the slightest of eyerolls. She straightened and flipped her long hair back, attractively. Lady Elizabeth was beginning to think the creature may have had a different agenda than eating on its mind. Still, the sharpness of the other girl's tone caused her to grimace.

"It seems your gratitude knows no bounds, thus, I shall away and cease to be a bother. Perhaps you ought to seek shelter from this abominable night. I, meanwhile, seek answers and my own haven. Farewell." The Lady began to stalk off.

"Wait! Wait! You can't just leave me here."

"Oh, but I can. Observe." She continued walking.

"Look, wait a minute Buffy…" Cordelia began to trail after the other young woman. Her long stride allowed her to keep up.

"I know not who this Buffy person is, but…"

"Yeah, whatever. It's apparent that some hoodoo has hoedowned on this town and people have become their costume. Joe wasn't always JoJo. He just dressed that way. So you're not Buffy now, but you usually are, get me?"

Lady Elizabeth cast a glance at the other girl and let her gaze slide appreciatively before pushing her attention back to where she was going. If the outfit was a costume, it would explain many things, including its scantiness. "Fine. I'll allow that I don't exactly feel like myself. For instance, I am fairly sure I'm taller. Perhaps a little taller than you. Normally. But this is the body I inhabit now and my name is Elizabeth. Not Buffy." What she did not say was that in her memories, her height was an issue of social comment, as most women were of a much shorter stature. She had been so delighted to be of proper height, for once. Until she realized that every adult she observed was now taller and she was now smaller.

Were it not for the lessons of Job, she might have shaken her fist at the Almighty for His sense of humor.

"I can work with that," Cordelia nodded and breathed easier as the blonde slowed down a bit. "So, where are you headed?"

"According to..," Lady Elizabeth paused, unwilling to state exactly how she'd come by the information. Her skeptical nature kept her from identifying the voices as spirits, and who knew the agenda of the voices. However, she felt she ought to share the information. "Someone I overheard, safety can be found at the High School."

"The High School? Great. That's not too far. And yeah, it's supposed to be an emergency shelter."

"Oh, wonderful. Then you know where it is located?"

"We're heading in the right direction."

"Excellent. I had hoped."

\- BTVS -

"Whoo, what a rush." Willow staggered out of the computer classroom. She was half bent, breathing deeply. Sweat ran down her hair, her back. She blinked and there was Toc, holding a large cup with a straw in its hands, practically forcing it into hers. He spoke rapidly, chastising her about expenditures and overdoing, and not staying hydrated.

A Builder could follow the minion language pretty easily, but the little guy hit a few high notes that even she had trouble mentally translating. So yeah, she was maybe a little tired. But she still had the goods.

She took a long draw from the straw and caught her breath. "So where are we on the plans?"

The minion started walking and talking, arms waving as he spoke, then he stopped and turned around. He propped his hands on his sides and tapped a foot.

"Yeah. Yeah." Willow mollified, "That took more out of me than I expected. Especially since, as you well know, Builder magic was also being used through the whole school; which, by the way, you totally benefited from. Cut me a break."

He blew a raspberry at her.

"Fine!" She rolled her eyes. "You're right. I did it to myself. Let's get to the gym, while you catch me up."

\- BTVS -

Tic met Toc and Willow at the door to the gym. They all peeked in, noting the way the adults grouped and wandered, while the kids basically ran around the court, playing games. Ms. Frizzle, with the help of some of the remaining non-changed staff had apparently co-ordinated things.

"I think we can do this, but we're going to have to be sly about it."

"Pwede na?"

"Hmm. Yeah. You know the plans. Let's do this. Just… work around them, okay, but don't get caught."

"Yayaya."

Shadowy yellow blurs slid through the door. Willow tracked them through the corner of her eyes and whoosh, the lights in the gym dimmed and then everything was dark. She took a deep breath, deconstructed the empty cup and then stepped into the room.

"Hey. Who hit the switch?! Turn it back on!" The protest rumbled from several places, but even as everyone tried to speak or address the problem, the great room brightened again. However, where once there was only the wooden gym floor, now the space had widened and they suddenly had a bouncy indoor track, which wrapped around the league-legal floor. As people began looking at that, with varying states of amazement, the changes escalated.

The gym transformed, changing just outside of their vision, but so completely that it couldn't be denied. It elongated and shifted, scaffolding rose and fell as the gym transitioned to something one might find in a new, very upper-class school, with a glistening weight room and team locker rooms with, individualized aid and laundry rooms, deluxe planning rooms and spas with whirlpools and fancy showers. The aged tepid water fountains that had never worked right vanished and was replaced by perfectly working, shiny metal refrigerated units. The stadium seating went from the aging planks to newly cushioned seating in alternating school colors. Stairs led to the new offices, and a wide hallway that bridged to the new miniature sport complex that Xander and Dawn were building; although the back exits of the gym still lead out towards the football field too. (However, no one was outside to notice that yet…) The floor's paintjob, including a new version of the campus' fierce mascot glistened with a fresh coat of clear. The basketball floor wasn't wood anymore, but professionally surfaced with just enough bounce to make it easier on the knees. It was the kind of flooring that had the cheerleading coach (the only coach who had shown up for the Halloween event and stayed) suddenly demanding that everyone take off their street shoes, despite the fact that seconds ago there had been no problem with wearing them.

Ms. Frizzle wasn't frazzled. With a wave of her hand, she and the children were wearing court-friendly shoes. The kids kept playing their games as if Disney-like whorls of shadow and light suddenly transforming into miracles were completely normal. And perhaps, because of the night's previous events, there wasn't really a reason to think it wasn't. The changes were radical enough that the usual Sunnydale magic could not compete to keep the reasons for their near instantaneous appearance sensible without the explanation that it was "magic".

On the other hand, unlike the usual array of disasters, this event seemed to be something that actually benefited the school and the people; so most present committed to keeping their mouth shut and chose gratitude. The adults, whose kids were still out there went back to venting and haranguing the available teachers, even though there really was nothing more to do, unless they were willing to go out and do it. Ms. Frizzle, her miniature flying bus, and a few helpful assistants kept the kids occupied. Willow, Toc and Tic left the gym satisfied with a job well done. Meanwhile, the cheer coach looked at the beautiful, shiny new gym with tears of awe, before hastening to claim a new office.

\- BTVS -

"Holy…" Cordelia's whole body language was one of shock, from her eyes to the way she stood, with her hands dropped to her side as if the effort of even holding air was too much. "How… what?"

"Are you alright?" Lady Elizabeth asked. Theirs had been a troubled journey, and while they were no longer obliged to run, between handsy pirates and hungry vampires, they had experienced many tribulations, which had brought them to a friendlier state.

Cordelia looked as if she were about to expound on everything that irked her, but then she shook her head and let out a long breath. "You know, Liz. I think that tonight may be the most bizarre night of my life. I know you have no reason to believe me. But none of that was there earlier tonight."

It was inevitable that some form of trust grew between them. The Lady patted the other young woman's shoulder and said without hesitation. "I believe you. Though, I have to say, whether it was there before or not, on this night, I approve."

The words Sunnydale High were emblazoned on huge marble monument. The chiseled red and gold mascot glared ferociously at those who would enter. Not too far behind it was the well fortified school.

Cordelia had the grace to nod. "Yeah. I gotta go with you on that one. Especially with …"

"Well, look what we found. If it isn't the Slayer and her pretty kitty-snack."

The two young women turned, simultaneously and slowly, as if moving quickly would somehow cause something worse to happen.

"Crap," Cordelia whispered as it became evident that everyone they had been avoiding had caught up; pirates and vampires and monsters. The platinum blonde bad guy obviously led from the front. He grinned at them, with full brow and teeth showing.

Somehow, Lady Elizabeth managed to get the stake from the handbag, though she lost a few stones in the process. She held it like a knife, expression grim. But all that action did was lead the bad guys to display their own weapons, claws and guns.

"I don't suppose we could convince you that this is a bad idea?" Cordelia asked.

"Oh, I think it's a great idea. I've been hankering after a taste of slayer for years now."The vampire wriggled in his leather duster. "Ever since I had the last one." His smile widened. "I promised my friends a good time. And kitty-cat, you do look like a good time."

Ribald laughter rose as he extended his hand. "Now, let's make it easy, shall we? You come to me and I'll make sure to turn you at the end."

Cordelia, despite herself, shook her head negatively.

He shrugged and let go an exhale of breath he didn't really have. "Fine then. We'll do it the hard way."

He started forward.

"Halt!" It wasn't a shout. It was sound magnified and it shook the air enough that everyone's attention was gained. Then the Voice continued. "This is Razorback Guard. You will leave the young women alone and be about your way or suffer the consequences."

Spike laughed, stepping back only so he could try and look up and out to spot the idiot talking. He raised his arms a bit, like the man on the cross and said, "Do you know who I am? What I am? Suggest you move on. I've got a bit of dinner to take in. And that's as polite as I'll make it or I'll have you for dessert."

"This is your only warning. Cease and Desist."

Spike rolled his eyes, dropped his arms and said, "Screw this. I'm hungry."

Then he leapt toward the slayer, claws and teeth on the ready. As if that were the sign they were waiting for, the others roared forward too. Cordelia and Lady Elizabeth screamed, even as they positioned to defend.

Their noise was enough to cover the whir of sound, of many things in flight.

Just before he reached the Lady Elizabeth, the spiky haired demon burst into fine dust and was gone.

Meanwhile, the other bad guys were running away and screaming, with many looking more quilled and punctured than before. Arrows wobbled in the ground where they'd penetrated, directly in front of the two young women.

Cordelia felt around her body in frantic haste, then gasped in relief. "They missed!"

"Or rather they didn't." Lady Elizabeth quipped, after a similar, but less panicky search of herself.

Cordelia whirled. "You're hurt?"

"No. No. did not miss our enemies."

"Oh. Right." The brunette hardly spared a glance at the ashes. She just shook her head and pointed at the gates, which were now open. "Look, would you mind if we got indoors. I think I'm done for the night."

"Cordelia, I couldn't agree more."

\- BTVS -


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

BTVS: Builders pt 4

While the hallways and classrooms and offices glistened with renewal and awesomeness, the library was still, quiet and the same; except for the heavy table and rug upon which the table sat. Those things had been moved, shoved to the side and away to reveal a pentagram to the sight of the Builders. The pentagram took up plenty of the floor, and wasn't near as pretty as the Razorback mascot in the gym. It was dark, creepy and, from the Builder's perspective, leaking like a sieve.

"It's amazing that things don't just pop up out of there all the time," Willow commented. Like the other two, she looked as if she'd been very busy. Grime and sawdust marred her outfit and face. Her hair hung even more limply than usual. She wasn't quite wobbling on her feet from tiredness, but she definitely felt stretched and she knew she wasn't the only one. She held a small book in one hand. She thumbed through it quickly, with the other, eyeing it and then the blood-markings on the floor and then the book again, speed reading, even as she continued to comment. "Not only that, the runes are all wrong. Nothing here closes anything. It's like someone just decided to leave the door cracked."

"Which may not be far from the truth." Xander shook his head. "I don't see an easy way to fix this. We can't just dissolve the block, because the chance of it resulting in bad consequences is too steep."

"Which may be why Mr. Giles had it covered with a rug. If anyone would know what this is, it would be him and he'd likely have fixed it. I mean, if he could."

"Yeah, Willow, you gotta point."

"Well," Dawn offered, hesitantly. "We could try and deconstruct around it and then, maybe you know, when we rebuild, put it in a vault or something, you know, less… open."

"That's an idea with merit. I'd rather close it completely, but if we can't then it should be made as inaccessible as possible." Willow said.

"The problem being, even deconstructing around it, is risky. If I'd realized how …" Xander waved wordlessly at the ground before them, "I would never have suggested we repair and rebuild the school."

"Just because the key was left in the car doesn't mean that the car will just drive away by itself. We knew the Hellmouth was here. We just didn't realize how… precariously set it was." Willow reassured her friend. "Besides, what we did worked. The school is both realistically and metaphysically in better shape than when we started. The repair and renewal was legit, Xander. Don't second guess. We did good. And I don't say that out of pride."

"Mostly." Dawn teased, bumping Willow's shoulder.

"Heh. Yeah. Mostly." The other Builder owned.

"Well, it's not fair to do the whole school and not the library," Dawn said. "It's a matter of depth, really not width. If we shield up top, and then 'dig' around it, the portal itself should remain closed. We can wall it up, then set a gate that's not just, you know, wood flooring, on top. Or, you know, maybe miniature wizard towers at the corners and then let them do the work." She paused for a beat, "But that might mean miniature wizard units and I'm not sure the world is prepared for that."

Xander stood, arms folded, staring down at the markings. He grimaced and then nodded. "Okay. I call a Team Commune for some temporary shielding and then we'll wall this sucker up and re-build the library around it. Giles will want to guard it anyway." Once decided, his body language became much more confident. He clapped his hands together. "Okay, my lady friends, hands out. We're gonna do this the old fashioned way."

"Ooh. Hand holding and chants. My favorite." Willow grinned and reached out a hand to her friend, who took it with familiar ease..

"I thought that was chocolate double-fudge ice cream," Dawn commented, as she grasped Xander's other hand and then reached for Willow's..

"Well, that too." Willow's eyes glazed a bit. "Dang. Now I got a craving."

"We'll take care of it after. I'm pretty sure the cafeteria is fully stocked." Xander grinned.

"Awesome!"

"Okay, ready?"

With affirmation from the two young women, he exhaled and then he reached inside before extending his senses outward, letting his impressions of his companions be enfolded into himself; even as they did the same for him. Their hands blurred together, as light emanated from them and then they seemed to blur into the light, which grew brighter and brighter until they disappeared in the glow.

The minions, which had been in various states of examining the library and its books, faded from view too, dissolving into the light. Then the energy sparked and unknowable words shook through the room, jolting through the air with power. A forcefield shimmering like a bubble rose just outside and around the Hellmouth sigil, rising high and sinking low into the ground. The force shifted through colors of the spectrum before turning completely invisible.

The Builder's words slid to a close, deepening in pitch and slowing in speed. Their forms began to take familiar shape again within the light, as they became more solid within it.

Then the Chaos energy, that which had brought them into being, abruptly stopped and shattered, hard and fast like stone against cement floor.

The light that surrounded Dawn, Xander and Willow flickered roughly, undulating in crashing waves around them and through them and changing into wild hues; most of them bright green. If they screamed, no one heard.

Then the lights, all of them, ceased and everything went black.

\- BTVS -

The library doors crashed open.

"Dawn! Dawn! Are you okay?"

The school lights had come back on, almost immediately.

Buffy, no longer Lady Elizabeth, slid to the floor on her knees and then carefully lifted her sister into her lap, struggling with the urge to crush her to herself in haste. She nearly cried in relief when the younger girl's eyelids fluttered. "Eerg." Dawn's hand lifted lazily up. "Wha…? Where?"

"Oh thank God," exhaled the Slayer. A quick glance told her that Dawn was dirty, not bruised. Dirt, Buffy could deal with. Apparently it just took her sister a little longer to come out of the spell.

Once assured that Dawn was at least moderately okay, she turned to her friends, who were in varying stages of recovery.

"Ouch. I feel like the first day of Gym. Only grittier," Xander groaned into a sitting position.

"Tell me about it," Willow grimaced and blinked several times. "Next time, I say we skip Halloween and just go straight to the candy."

"Agreed," Dawn and Xander said in unison.

\- BTVS -

November 1 - After Halloween - The Library - Out of Game

The table and rug had been returned to their original location, hiding the seal once more. No one mentioned it when they took their usual places. The only thing new was the presence of Dawn and Cordelia who refused to be excluded from the afternoon meeting.

Mr. Giles had scrubbed his glasses clean several times during the conversation as they talked about what was remembered and what was not; not that some things could be forgotten. Ms. Frizzle had returned to herself and the bus had turned back into a cat in a bus costume, but the adults had been so grateful that they'd thanked the woman effusively. The children, anyone sixteen and under, had all been returned, some a little worse for wear, but none of them expired, thank all Higher Divinities. Apparently Ethan wasn't so far gone, which made Giles glad he hadn't actually killed the man. The chaos mage had left protections in the children's suits, which kept them alive and mostly unscathed. Not the adults, mind. They had some serious casualties.

Meanwhile, the high school and its environs had been completely renovated overnight and the coaches were still fighting over whose office belonged to whom, though the cheer coach had hers firmly called and had stacked the deck accordingly. The Principal was walking around with dollar signs in his eyes and declaring the wonders of the Mayor for finally providing security and a faculty room with a new flatscreen TV and cable, while also providing funding without penalizing the school's budget. He was so happy he hadn't called Buffy a hooligan or similar name once. Ms. Calendar had yet to emerge from her classroom since she entered it at 8am that morning. Usually she at least said hello at lunch time when they worked, even if it was on a weekend.

"I'm definitely passing French class," Buffy said proudly, and with no small amount of relief. She had other cool new skills too, but she didn't want to mention them in front of the others, and maybe not ever. When it was time, she'd speak to her Watcher, if necessary. After all, Lady Elizabeth had been one..

"I almost wish I'd got a magic costume too, but Ethan's just didn't have the quality I was looking for," Cordelia commented.

"Yeah," husked Willow, who had been surprisingly friendly to the cheerleader, considering their past. But she had a different perspective on things now. "Gotta go with quality when you can."

"Then why do you insist on wearing …"

"Cordy, be nice. I'll explain later" Buffy said, and like a miracle, the cheerleader did ease back. As a compromise, the Slayer continued, "We can address fashion later. I'm sure Willow would be up for a bit of shopping. Maybe next Friday?"

"That would be great." Dawn said. "Wait. I can come, right?"

"Yes," Willow said firmly. "I'll expect to see you."

"And what about the goofball?" Cordy pointed at Xander. "Of all of us, he needs a makeover."

Xander, whose attention had wandered as soon as the word shopping had entered the conversation, snapped back. "What about me?"

"Coming with next Friday?"

"Um… I was thinking about maybe going to talk to Uncle Rory about a job." He clenched his hand and hammered it forward a little. "I kind of miss having… something constructive to do."

He glanced at Willow meaningfully.

Willow sat up straighter. She propped her hands on the table, clasped together. Her eyes widened as she leaned forward. "Really?"

"Yeah." Suddenly he was smiling even more. He continued, "He mentioned he wanted to do a little renovating. And he's willing to pay for help."

"Well, that would help pay for shopping," Buffy said brightly, sounding oblivious even though she was highly aware of the body language of her friends.

And her sister. Things had changed for them. Dawn had redecorated her room and there were new shelves; very nice shelves. Buffy had plans to ask for help with her own closet. She wanted a place that would allow for plenty of new… shoes.

"It would. Wouldn't it?" Dawn said thoughtfully. "Feel like company, Xan? I may be young, but I can use a tape measure."

Xander nodded and knocked on the table with is knuckles. "Every little bit helps and I don't think Uncle Rory would mind, though we better ask your Mom first."

"Cool." She sat back, looking pleased.

"Is there anything more of which I should be aware at this point?" Mr. Giles inquired.

The young people glanced at each other and then shook their heads, offering variations of "no," in response.

"In that case, I call this meeting adjourned. Go find somewhere else to be. I have to clean this library up. Unless, of course, you want to help."

As they scattered out in a rush, leaving the library door swinging emptily, the librarian sighed. He went and picked up an ancient tome, gently stroking its spine. Then he smiled in relief and affection. "Thank goodness they didn't have a chance to change anything in here."

Underneath the table, underneath the rug, the sigil for the Hellmouth pulsed and brightened, exactly once before fading back to its original colors.

\- BTVS -

The End


End file.
